Four and Thirteen
by ptnkatan
Summary: The Fourth Doctor and the Thirteenth Doctor (along with companions) have a brief encounter when the TARDIS malfunctions.


_CLANK!_

Romana rushed towards the console room, to see what sort of mess the Doctor was causing this time. She desperately hoped he had merely dropped something and was not intent on tinkering with the TARDIS yet again. The last time she caught him messing around underneath the control panel, they had been flung through six and a half alternate dimensions. The first five had been populated entirely by sentient bananas, whereas the last… well Romana always seemed to forget half of what happened to them in that one. She was intent on not having any more conversations with fruits from here on out, with her luck they would wind up somewhere even worse. She entered the console room, to find the Doctor finicking with something under the console as usual. Observing from the other side of the console was the ever-trusty K-9; the best of robot dogs, but not quite as lively as most real ones.

"Hello Mistress" K-9 automatically greeted upon her arrival. "Hello K-9" she noted while kneeling down to talk the Doctor out of whatever it was he was planning. "Doctor, please tell me you are only making mandatory repairs" her voice had a calm concern about it. "Oh, well" the Doctor trailed off for a moment, "I suppose that all depends on what you define as mandatory" he answered. Romana sighed. The sorts of scrapes they tended to get into were never anything all too dangerous, for Time Lords at least, but they always presented some form of deep impracticality. "By the way, could you hand me the dimensional rotator wrench?" the Doctor asked. Romana, not knowing how else to aid in the situation, stepped around to reach the tool box. These Gallifreyan tool boxes were always such an impracticality; while they might be bigger on the inside and hold innumerable tools, finding what you want is always such a process. Romana lifted up the first wrack of tools, which stood a few inches taller than herself.

"Is that labeled under D for dimensional, or W for wrench?" she asked

"Should be under W from what I recall" The Doctor answered.

Romana checked under the D section and handed the dimensional rotator wrench to him. "Was it where I said?" the Doctor asked. "Oh yes" Romana answered while smiling to K-9. The dog waggled his ears in reply. "Doctor, do I dare ask what it is you are fixing?" she asked while reaching for the type 40 instruction manual. "Oh, it's nothing to important, long story short it's what keeps us from running into our past and future selves inside here." A spare part then fell out from underneath the console. Romana immediately exclaimed in shock, "Doctor, you need to see a proper mechanic for something like that! Meddling with it while we're still inside the TARDIS could-" the Doctor then slid out from underneath the console. "Then it's a good thing I'm _not _meddling" he then seamlessly disappeared underneath once more. Romana rolled her eyes and stood back up. "Well, if that's the way it's going to be then all I can say is I better not be running into myself from last week, or last month, or… or ten years in the future, because we're all not pleased!" she then stomped off in a huff.

Meanwhile, several thousand years or so down the Doctor's timeline, a similar event was occurring, but in a much blander manner. Nine incarnations later, and the Doctor still found herself carrying out the same old TARDIS maintenance repairs. Yazmin Khan sat leaning against one of the crystal pillars in the console room, attempting to make sense of the type 40 instruction manual while the Doctor worked. She was once merely a Sheffield officer in training, but now she was a… well she was still technically an officer in training, but she also traveled through time and space. "This book doesn't make a lick of sense" Yaz finally commented. The Doctor then came out from underneath the console unit in order to reach some of her tools. "Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about readn' that. After all, it's old Gallifreyan, and your… contemporary human, well, contemporary from your perspective" she noted before ducking back down to continue her work. "You know Yaz, you don't need to sit on the floor like that, you can always just pull up a chair or something" the Doctor added, nearly banging her head. "Well, I would" Yaz replied, "but there really isn't anywhere to sit in here." The Doctor once again extracted herself from underneath the console in order to look around. Sure enough the room was fairly bare in terms of furniture. "I suppose your right" she noted as she stood up, "I suppose it is time I add a few things to make it more homely. I used to have a little stand to put coats and hats and things, kept falling over. Wonder what I ever did with it" she began fiddling with some of the controls.

Yaz stepped forward, careful not to trip over any of the Doctor's tools that had been left lying about the floor. "Um, Doctor, is it safe for you to begin doing this now? After all, you have a tendency to…" she paused before the end of her sentence, not sure how-to best phrase it. What she wanted to say was that the Doctor had a tendency to flit from one chore to the other without finishing any of them, and somehow this led to the TARDIS crashing and getting flung around on various occasions. Probably best to put it a bit more lightly than that. "A tendency to what?" the Doctor asked as she flicked a few switches. It was then at the far wall that a three-person couch appeared. Despite everything Yaz had scene, fun little tricks like these still managed to bring her joy. She liked keeping a poker face around the Doctor though, just as a way of appearing a little more mature. The two approached the newly materialized couch and flopped on opposite ends. "What do you think?" The Doctor asked. Yaz shrugged, "Bit stiff, isn't it?" The Doctor leapt up and back to the central console, with Yaz closely following. "Just because I said it was stiff, that doesn't mean you have to go and get rid of it" she fussed. The Doctor smiled, "Who said I was getting rid of it? On the contrary, I'm just skipping to when it's a bit more worn in."

A few flicks and taps and button presses later they were ready to test the couch once more. "How is it this time?" the Doctor asked. Yaz was impressed, the couch felt totally different. It felt as if they had been using it for years, like a properly worn in comfy couch. "How did you do that?" she stood up impressed. The Doctor grinned, Yaz had forgotten to put on her poker face. "It's all quite simple" the Doctor answered, "Once the couch was materialized, all I needed to do was move it forward in the time line and then bring it back here. It's the same technology that enables us to walk around the TARDIS without bumping into our past or future selves. Oh, speaking of which, I should probably get back to repairing it. Believe me when I say it can get pretty embarrassing running into yourself from a few years ago!" With that she ducked under the console to continue repairs once more. Yaz slumped back onto the couch, astounded at how many tricks the Doctor still had up her sleeve, even after all this time.

It was then that Ryan and his grandfather, Graham, entered the main console room. They had come from Sheffield, same as Yaz. Life for each of them had changed so much ever since the Doctor dropped in on them, quite literally speaking. All of their adventures had been so much fun and bombastic, but also dangerous. Yaz was unsure how she would go back to regular life after this, or even if she would go back to regular life. "Hey Doc, I don't mean to complain, but Ryan and I do have just one tiny little concern we would like to address with you" Graham asked the Doctor as he and Ryan reached the console. The Doctor slid out from underneath to address them, "It's not the changing hallways is it? Because they do have a tendency to do that, I warned you of this beforehand" she removed her work gloves and goggles. "No, it's not that, it's… oh well, how do I phrase this?" Graham pondered as his grandson took over. "Are rooms have vanished" Ryan stated plainly. "What?" the Doctor shot up, "Are you sure you didn't just misplace them?" she asked, hopeful. Ryan shook his head. "We've looked everywhere Doc, and we just can't find them" Graham answered. "Hang on, I'll check the monitor" the Doctor reassured them as she swung around to once again fiddle with the central console controls. This time it was to check the closest thing they had to a map, which was in the form of various projections on the TARDIS walls. The Doctor grew exasperated and sighed. Reluctantly she looked back to Ryan and Graham. "Well, em… the bad news is that your rooms have in fact vanished" she confessed, somewhat defeated. "Then what's the good news?" Ryan asked. "The good news is that two very special people are getting brand new rooms!" The Doctor had a way of turning loss into an opportunity for something new. It didn't always work, but for the most part when it was something like a room, it helped.

Upon hearing all of this, a though occurred to Yaz. She sprung off the couch, "My room's not gone too, is it?" she ran up beside everyone else, worried. The Doctor quickly hopped back to the controls, "Let's hope not" she reassured. The three companions looked on as the Doctor continued to search, but nothing seemed to come up. Eventually the Doctor turned back to them with a very serious look on her face. None of them knew what was happening, but they knew the Doctor only became serious in situations that posed a threat to them. "Unfortunately, Yaz, your room is one of the ones missing, it get's worse though" The Doctor paused. "How much worse does it get?" Graham asked. The Doctor exhaled, "Your rooms aren't the only ones that are missing, innumerable rooms have just vanished from the TARDIS as if they were never there to begin with. Oddly enough, there are other rooms which weren't there before. For instance, I know the zero room hasn't been here in a very long while, yet I was able to find it" she paused once more in order to turn back to the console. "So, the TARDIS has sort of, rearranged itself?" Yaz asked. "Yes, but there's more to it than that" the Doctor clarified, "There's something about this layout that's familiar. I'm trying to remember if I've ever had it before" the Doctor twirled her finger through her hair as she began to pace circularly around the console. "But if that's the case and it's gone back to some old blueprint, then why is it happening now? What's wrong with it?" Ryan questioned aloud. The Doctor immediately stopped pacing. She turned back to the console and frantically began flipping switches and pressing buttons, running all around in a mad rush. Ryan, Graham and Yaz looked on worried, but not sure what they could do to help the situation.

"Doc, exactly what is going on?" Graham asked straight up. The Doctor frantically began to explain, "If I'm right, and I usually am, something is wrong with the TARDIS's ability to maintain its own internal time flow. This means if we're not careful, we will in fact be running into everyone who has ever been and will ever be in the TARDIS. Its already begun happening to the rooms and we're next. Fortunately, if I have enough time, I might be able to localize and concentrate it to when it was weakest, and stop it from happening all together" she continued to rush around the console in her mad manner. "So, this is something you can fix right? I mean, it's not like this is going to turn into some huge crisis?" Yaz's concern was palpable amongst the group. "Well Yaz, I'm afraid it might-" the Doctor never got to finish her sentence; as sparks suddenly sprung out of the console in every direction, the lights shut off leaving them in brief darkness.

"Doctor, I don't know what's going on, but I don't like it" Yaz whispered.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. Situations like this have a way of working themselves out" a deep voice from another side of the room answered. It was then that the lights turned back on and everyone got a look at who had been kind enough to answer Yaz's question. Standing on the other side of the console, by the doors, a man with thick curly hair and a long scarf stood. His pale blue eyes resembled pools full of souls, and the expression on his face was totally unreadable. Next to him, a woman in a striking red jacket and gloves with long blond hair stood visibly annoyed. Not worried or panicked, just annoyed; the type you have when someone else has forgotten to pick up the groceries. "Didn't I say something like this would happen? Now we haven't the faintest idea when we are or if more timelines are going to converge" the woman sighed. The man by her side was seemingly unphased by this remark, "Well then the best thing to do is get chatting to the nearest person" he turned towards the Doctor and her companions. "Hello there, I don't mean to be so abrupt, but surely one of you is myself. Could you be ever so kind so that we can get this whole business over with" he asked the group. "That would be me" the Doctor answered.

It is at this point, the producers of this text would like the author to clear up, as well as provide more background as to what is happening for people going in a bit cold. On a side note, this is why one should never accept adipose as producers. The Doctor is what many refer to as a Time Lord. Not much is known about Time Lords other than the fact that they come from a planet known as Gallifrey and that they have a tendency to live multiple lives, this is why there are two Doctors, and why they are so radically different. Despite the vast lack of information on Time Lords, the _Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy _gives an interesting anecdote as to one Time Lord named Meticulous. With the ability to time travel, he decided to invite himself to his birthday every year. Of course, little did he know that he was actually just going to the same party over and over, as he become so drunk every time that he always forgot its events. This continued up until his final party, which was coincidentally also his first. Regardless of the backstory, to simplify things from here on out, the Doctor who is comprised of teeth, curls and a scarf will be referred to as Four, and the blonde female incarnation as Thirteen.

Thirteen's companions looked back and forth to the two Doctors in confusion. "Um, Doctor, what is going on exactly?" Yaz inquired. "Do you remember when we first met and I told you I used to look like a whitehaired Scotsman?" Thirteen started. "But his hair isn't white and he isn't a Scotsman" Yaz noted. "Exactly" Thirteen answered, "That was just me paving the way to tell you that this is me quite a few bodies before" the three companions still stood there, confused. It was at this point that Romana stepped in, "Doctor, surely we can save all of this socializing for another time. The state the TARDIS is in is unstable. If we don't do something then who knows what might happen next!" she urged. "Right!" both Doctors agreed in unison, which lead to each of them looking at the other in annoyance that they had been spoken over. Four lay down to get a better look at the console. "Oh dear, what in the universe have you been doing with my TARDIS?" he scoffed as he took a glance at the mechanics underneath the console. "Oi, get your hands off of my TARDIS!" Thirteen snapped back. "It's my TARDIS, I had her first" Four snapped back as he stood up. It was then that he noticed the new look of the console room, "Have you redecorated?" he asked, somewhat appalled. "I have, what do you think?" Thirteen seemed somewhat hopeful that she could gain Four's approval in one aspect of her life. "I don't like it" Four looked towards the console itself, "could do with some overhead lighting" he crawled back under the unit to continue repairs. "Oi, I was the one making repairs here" she did her best to but in, this in turn lead to more arguing.

While all of this was going on, Yaz, Graham and Ryan stood in awe and confusion, not quite knowing how to react. Romana stood beside them a bit bored, she seemed more interested in checking her watch. Eventually it was Ryan that asked, "So you're who the Doctor travels with in the past?" Romana looked up from her watch, "Yes, well I'm at least one of them. The Doctor has a history of traveling with various companions. My name is Romanadvoratrelundar" it was then that she was cut off by Four, calling out from under the console, "Don't go suffocating them with over formality Fred!" Romana rolled her eyes, yet despite this was taken a bit with the nostalgia of their first meeting. She did her best to hide her smirk before clarifying, "Romana will be fine" to Thirteen's companions.

"So, where and when are you all from?" Romana asked. "Earth" they all responded simultaneously before looking to each other in mild annoyance. "We were picked up in twenty-eighteen" Yaz specified. "Oh" Romana's tone resembled disappointment as well as shock. Four then popped back up, "Now hold on just a moment" he interrupted, "Are you telling me that in the future I just travel around with a group as homogeneous as this?" It was then that Thirteen popped up from behind Four. "Homogeneous?" she repeated, annoyed, "What exactly is that supposed to mean?" she questioned in an attempt to defend her companions. "Well…" Four paused for a moment trying to find the right words, not something he usually had to do, but apparently, he did around himself. Just another reason as to why he hated these sorts of situations. "Are you telling me that in the future my taste in company is so… so…" he did not want to say what he was about to say. "So what?!" Thirteen huffed. "So bigoted!" Four finally burst out. Thirteen seemed enraged at this, "Bigoted! Bigoted! What even… how am I the bigoted one here!" In response Four gave a sly look, and answered, "Well, all your companions are from modern day Earth, all I'm saying is that there is a clear difference between favoritism and prejudice." With that he went back to work on the TARDIS while Thirteen was still flabbergasted.

"So, wait a moment" Yaz turned to face Romana, "Does this mean your like, an alien or something?" Romana looked back up from her watch, "What? Oh yes, I'm a Time Lord like the Doctor" she noted before looking down at Four in the hopes they could get a move on. "No way" Yaz responded in an excited manner. "The Doc hardly ever tells about what her people are like" Graham added. "Well there isn't much to tell really, that is unless you find a bunch of politicians interesting" it was then that Thirteen stepped into the conversation, "Romana comes from a very different time in Gallifrey's history. A lot has happened since then, and I think it's best we keep the conversation to a minimum. Lest they get spoiled and I get sentimental" she clarified. "We must be fairly far down the timeline then. How old are you now?" Romana inquired. "Oh, somewhere over the two-thousand mark" she answered. "Two-thousand!" Four banged his head on the console in his rush to get back up. "Well, I'm glad you haven't gone senile at the very least" Romana noted, "Though I think it's best if we be on our way. Doctor, how are you doing with the TARDIS?" Four slid out from underneath the console, rubbing the spot where he had hit his head. "Oh, should be done any second now. Awfully difficult without K-9 here to help" he then slid back under to make some final adjustments. "I could have done this myself you know, I do have more experience with this sort of thing" Thirteen added, having resigned herself to the sidelines. "Whose K-9" Yaz asked. Thirteen opened her mouth then closed it again, "I'll explain later."

It was then that Four got out from underneath he console unit, "Done at last!" he exclaimed. "That's quite the anti-climax" Romana noted. "Your right, usually there's an explosion" Thirteen added. The TARDIS crew then braced themselves for an impact of some kind, but nothing happened. "That was a disappointing way to end off" Ryan commented. "Well that's why I always play it a little loose with the TARDIS controls, helps keep it interesting" Four smiled before getting a look from Romana, "I think it's best for us to say our goodbyes before things begins to spiral. You'll need to transfer us back" Four pointed to the console as he and Romana walked back to the spot where they had first materialized. Thirteen readied herself at the controls. "Our Goodbyes" Romana and Four said in unison as Thirteen dematerialized them back to their own time. "Shame they couldn't stick around a bit longer. They seemed pretty cool" Yaz noted. "Oh, don't worry about it Yaz, after all we still have the unparalleled thrill of a new couch" Thirteen gestured to their new couch, which had aged immensely since they had brought it in. It was now beyond reasonable use. "This here is why I never go with used online listings" Graham said.

Meanwhile, a few thousand years ago in the Doctor's timeline, Four and Romana had returned to their own TARDIS. "Well, that was quite the… experience" Romana noted, "You didn't really mean all that stuff about bigotry, did you Doctor?" Four scoffed before checking to make sure everything in the TARDIS was functioning properly, "Of course not, I just wanted to get myself out of my own hair." He began cleaning up the tools strewn out about the console room. "Well, I think it's about time we took a bit of a break. How about it? I hear the Eye of Orion is fantastic this time of year" he contemplated whether or not to set a course or hit the randomizer. "Erm, Doctor, don't you think you should get back to repairing the TARDIS?" Romana asked. "What are you talking about? I just finished repairing it" Four asked. "Not exactly, you still have a few thousand years before you repair it. Right now, it's in the same state you left it" Romana clarified. "Ah, indeed" Four reopened his tool box, prepared to continue. "Don't worry Romana, you and I working on this, we'll have it done in no time. Romana… Romana?" Four looked up just in time to see one of the doors leading out of the console room swing closed. "Well then K-9. Looks like it's just you and I" Four said to the robot dog as he climbed back under the console. "Affirmative master."


End file.
